This invention relates to an apparatus for attaching snap or other similar fasteners to garments, and more specifically to a feeder for such apparatus which selectively feeds two different fastener components from two automaticdelivery hoppers to the fastener-attaching point.
We previously provided a fastener-attaching apparatus, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 49163/1980, which comprises three rotary hoppers for automatically delivering snap fasteners or the like for garments, one of the hoppers being used exclusively for supplying backing members for attaching female and male fastener pieces and the two others for supplying the female and male pieces respectively, a single feed track connected to the backingmember hopper and extended therefrom to a location in the vicinity of the fastener-attaching point, separate feed tracks provided for delivering the female and male pieces, and shifter means by which those tracks are selectably coupled to a single, common guide track extended to a location in the vicinity of the fastener-attaching point. Thus, a single fastener-attaching apparatus is made multifunctional, with functions of attaching female and male pieces of fasteners.
Although the apparatus of the prior invention functions excellently, the movement of the means for shifting the female-piece feed track to the male-piece one or vice versa into or out of either track is sometimes hampered because the both tracks are full of the fastener components. For this reason there has been a demand for a more positive, infallible shifter means. The published specification of the aforementioned invention also describes a modified arrangement in which the both tracks are simply extended to a location short of the fastener-attaching point instead of connecting the both tracks with the common guide track. The modification involves complicacy in construction of the apparatus, since it necessitates two guide grooves and two pusher bars which slidably fit in the grooves so as to convey the fastener pieces from the outlets of the both tracks to the attaching point between the upper and lower dies for crimping use.